TRINITY graduate Colm Holmes is coming closer to home after being named as chief financial officer for Aviva's UK and Ireland general insurance business.

Holmes joins Aviva from Zurich where he was group treasurer and head of capital management. It's a long way from Grant Thornton, where the young Holmes started back in 1988 after getting a degree in business and economics.

At Zurich, Holmes held responsibility for managing a $10bn business, which underwrote life and health reinsurance among other things.

The boys at Aviva seem to be rolling out the red carpet for the chartered accountant.

His new boss, chief financial officer Pat Regan, gushed that Holmes would be "adding bench strength to the broader finance community at Aviva", while Holmes himself is said to be "tremendously excited".

The Punt can't help wishing that there will be similar cheers from the roof tops next time we change jobs.